source ;toonaripost.com
Greece is a country in Southern Europe, politically considered part of
Western Europe. Athens is the capital and the largest city in the
country (its urban area also including Piraeus). The population of the
country is about 11 million.
Greece has land borders with Albania, the Republic of Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to the east. The Aegean Sea lies to the east of mainland Greece, the Ionian Sea to the west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. Greece has the 11th longest coastline in the world at 13,676 km (8,498 mi) in length, featuring a vast number of islands (approximately 1,400, of which 227 are inhabited), including Crete, the Dodecanese, the Cyclades, and the Ionian Islands among others. Eighty percent of Greece consists of mountains, of which Mount Olympus is the highest at 2,917 m (9,570 ft).
Greece has land borders with Albania, the Republic of Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to the east. The Aegean Sea lies to the east of mainland Greece, the Ionian Sea to the west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. Greece has the 11th longest coastline in the world at 13,676 km (8,498 mi) in length, featuring a vast number of islands (approximately 1,400, of which 227 are inhabited), including Crete, the Dodecanese, the Cyclades, and the Ionian Islands among others. Eighty percent of Greece consists of mountains, of which Mount Olympus is the highest at 2,917 m (9,570 ft).
Greek Food
Greek cuisine is as an example of the healthy Mediterranean diet (Cretan
diet). Greek cuisine incorporates fresh ingredients into a variety of
local dishes such as moussaka, stifado, Greek salad, spanakopita and
souvlaki. Some dishes can be traced back to ancient Greece like
skordalia (a thick purée of walnuts, almonds, crushed garlic and olive
oil), lentil soup, retsina (white or rosé wine sealed with pine resin)
and pasteli (candy bar with sesame seeds baked with honey). Throughout
Greece people often enjoy eating from small dishes such as meze with
various dips such as tzatziki, grilled octopus and small fish, feta
cheese, dolmades(rice, currants and pine kernels wrapped in vine
leaves), various pulses, olives and cheese. Olive oil is added to almost
every dish.
Sweet desserts such as galaktoboureko, and drinks such as ouzo, metaxa
and a variety of wines including retsina. Greek cuisine differs widely
from different parts of the mainland and from island to island. It uses
some flavorings more often than other Mediterranean cuisines: oregano,
mint, garlic, onion, dill and bay laurel leaves. Other common herbs and
spices include basil, thyme and fennelseed. Many Greek recipes,
especially in the northern parts of the country, use "sweet" spices in
combination with meat, for example cinnamon and cloves in stews.
Heraklion
Heraklion is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete, Greece. It is the 4th largest city in Greece.
Heraklion is the capital of Heraklion regional unit. The ruins of Knossos, which were excavated and restored by Arthur Evans, are nearby. The Heraklion International Airport is named after Nikos Kazantzakis.
Santorini
Santorini is an island in the southern Aegean Sea, about 200 km (120 mi) southeast from Greece's mainland. It is the largest island of a small, circular archipelago which bears the same name and is the remnant of a volcanic caldera. It forms the southernmost member of the Cyclades group of islands, with an area of approximately 73 km2 (28 sq mi) and a 2001 census population of 13,670. The municipality of Santorini comprises the inhabited islands of Santorini and Therasia and the uninhabited islands of Nea Kameni, Palaia Kameni, Aspronisi, and Christiana. The total land area is 90.623 km2 (34.990 sq mi). Santorini is part of the Thira regional unit.
The island is the site of one of the largest volcanic eruptions in recorded history: the Minoan eruption (sometimes called the Thera eruption), which occurred some 3600 years ago at the height of the Minoan civilization. The eruption left a large caldera surrounded by volcanic ash deposits hundreds of feet deep and may have led indirectly to the collapse of the Minoan civilization on the island of Crete, 110 km (68 mi) to the south, through a gigantic tsunami. This theory is not, however, supported by chronology, in that the collapse of the Minoan civilization did not occur at the date of the tsunami, but some 90 years later. Another popular theory holds that the Thera eruption is the source of the legend of Atlantis.
Myrtos Beach
Myrtos Beach is situated in the region of Pylaros, in the north-west of Kefalonia, Greece. The beach is situated between the feet of two mountains, Agia Dynati and Kalon Oros (901m).
Myrtos is world-famous for the magical colours of the water (from sky-blue to dark blue, green-blue and turquoise) contrasting with the bright white of the smooth marble pebbles from which it is formed.
In the evening when the sun is on the horizon, the water is tinted by magnificent colours, (red, yellow, purple, orange), as the sun disappears. The location of the beach, with steep mountains and tall cliffs behind, is imposing and magical.
For all these reasons Myrtos has previously been voted 12 times the best Greek beach and has been quoted in one or more of the published top-ten beaches of the world lists. It is cited as No 36 in the world in one widely used travel website . Myrtos Beach was also identified as a priority destination in a SEPT 2008 review in the Telegraph Newspaper(UK)
Mount Athos
Vai (Crete)
The palm beach of Vai (Greek: ???) is one of the largest attractions of the Mediterranean island of Crete. It features the largest natural palm forest in Europe, made up of Cretan Date Palm (Phoenix theophrasti).
For tourism Vai was discovered at the end of the 1970s by the last Hippies who fled the hot-spots Matala and Preveli. At the beginning of the 1980s Vai was full of backpacker tourists from the whole world, leading to a mixture of chaotic campground and garbage dump. Vai was enclosed and declared as a protected area. The unique forest recovered, the beach became clean.
The palm beach, which belongs to the Moni Toplou, is the touristic center of East Crete, with thousands of visitors each year. Vai lies close to Palekastro, Sitia and the Dionysades islands.
Melissani Cave
Lake Plastiras
Today the lake holds up to 400 million cubic meters of fresh water. It is used for irrigation and as a power source of a hydroelectric plant, but also as the main water source to the city of Karditsa. Due to its altitude (one of the highest in Europe) the Tavropos Reservoir is a popular tourist resort in Greece, as the formed landscape is quite unique.
Vikos Gorge
Vikos is listed as the deepest gorge in the world by the Guinness Book of Records among others. This follows a somewhat arbitrary definition of a gorge that excludes deeper features such as Colca Canyon because of their greater width:depth ratio.
Rio–Antirrio bridge
Greece Facts
euro (EUR)
note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries
Capital: Athens
Religions:
Greek Orthodox 98%, Muslim 1.3%, other 0.7%
Hotels in Greece:
Luxury Hotels Greece:
Santorini Princess
Aigialos Hotel
Katikies Hotel
Perivolas
Santorini Kastelli Resort
King George Palace
Hilton Athens
InterContinental Athenaeum
Divani Acropolis Palace Hotel
Royal Olympic Hotel
Classical Athens Imperial
Athens Ledra Marriott
Kivotos
Tharroe of Mykonos Hotel
Cavo Tagoo
Arte & Mare Elia Mykonos Suites
Creta Maris Beach Resort
Galaxy Hotel Iraklio
Castello Boutique Resort & Spa
Budget Hotels Greece:
Antonia Hotel Santorini
Anemomilos Hotel Apartments
Sigalas Hotel
Margarita Hotel
Hotel Niki
Athens House Hostel
Amaryllis Inn
Alma Hotel
Zenith Hotel
Stavris Studios
Hotel Creta Sun
Notos Hotel
Hotel Candia
Hotel Amaril
Galini Beach Hotel
Milena Hotel
Maria Hotel
Terra Maria
Hotel Telesilla
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